


The Battle of the Scarf

by qwerty



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M, Size Kink, au post-season 1, fluff and nonsense, things written while avoiding writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-24
Updated: 2012-09-24
Packaged: 2017-11-14 23:09:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/520478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/qwerty/pseuds/qwerty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Will you take off your stupid scarf."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Battle of the Scarf

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a comment-meme I didn't start, but I felt bad that no one was doing anything, so here we are. Minor amendments have been made since original posting; please let me know if there is anything I missed.

"Will you take off your stupid scarf."

Across the room, Gaius's eyebrows went up, Both of them. Merlin cast him a quick, anxious glance and clutched at the scarf being disputed even harder and more possessively. "No," he said firmly, taking strength from the knowledge that he did not want Gaius's eyebrows enquiring about Arthur's issues with his scarf.

Arthur scowled and moved to put himself between Merlin and Gaius, with his back to the old man, which served to both block Gaius's view of the goings-on and at the same time keep himself from having to look Gaius in the eye. He pinched the corner of Merlin's scarf between his thumb and forefinger and gave it an irritated tug. "Hand it over."

Merlin squawked and held on with grim determination, willing a bolt of lightning to strike Arthur and fry him to a crisp. There was a small snapping sound and a spark, and Arthur snatched his hand back with a curse. "I said no! It's mine!" he tried to growl, but his voice came out rather squeaky.

Arthur tried to loom over him more offensively. "Give. It. To. Me."

The effort made stars twinkle in his vision, but he managed to make another spark leap out and zap Arthur as he backed dangerously close to the edge of the table. "You can't have it. I have nothing else to wear!"

Gaius ambled up to them with his medicine pack over his shoulder, still interrogating them both with his eyebrows. "Try not to set fire to my things, Merlin. I need to oversee the set-up for the first-aid tent. Sire." He inclined his head to Arthur respectfully, and was gone.

Cheeks slightly flushed, Arthur's sharp eyes followed Gaius to the door, waiting for it to close and for the sound of Gaius's soft footfalls to fade, then he turned his full attention back to Merlin, and licked his lips.

Merlin swallowed, and felt heat crawl down his neck. "You can't have it," he repeated inanely.

"Gwen and Morgana have already promised to make you new clothes, which is much more than you deserve," Arthur sneered, poking him in the chest with a blunt finger and making him stagger. "What kind of useless warlock lets an incompetent enemy sorcerer close enough to hit him with a deadly spell, and instead of turning it on the sorcerer or blocking it outright, accidently shrinks himself to..." he eyed Merlin up and down appraisingly, and Merlin flushed hot and red and furious, "less than a foot high?"

"The kind of warlock that has to hide being a warlock or be burnt at the stake," he retorted, and regretted his words when Arthur's expressive face turned worried and ashamed. "I mean, I... Nobody's making me any clothes, they don't have my measurements! And I'm not staying this size!"

Diverted, Arthur was grinning again, giving Merlin's scarf another teasing tweak. "So take off your ridiculous scarf-toga and let them measure you. They want to help you. Very much."

He felt certain he had turned red all over, like a boiled crab. "No!"

Arthur tutted at him. "Don't be foolish, Merlin. You have no idea how long you're going to stay this way. Let them make you a simple set of clothes."

He was clutching the scarf to him like a despoiled maiden now, and he couldn't really make himself care about that. "No! I don't need -- I can take my own measurements down and you can pass it to them!"

"You seem confused about who the manservant is here," Arthur remarked blandly. "Take it off."

"You're the one who's being ridiculous," Merlin insisted. "Why do I need to take off the scarf to be measured?"

"It's too big and it wraps all around you. How can they measure anything when you're all bundled up like this?"

Merlin shook his head. "The answer is still no, thank you."

"Fine." Arthur heaved a gusty sigh."Have it your way. He unpinned his red cape with studied casualness, and tore a corner off the clean end, tossing it to Merlin. "Wear this, then. Morgana and Gwen will be disappointed, but they'll live."

It seemed reasonable enough a request. Merlin picked up the cloth, still warm from Arthur's body, and held it up, measuring it by eye. It should be enough to protect his modesty without getting in the way of being measured. He glared a glare of deep suspicion at Arthur, but Arthur was simply refastening his cape, unconcerned.

Merlin blew out his cheeks, feeling strangely nervous about the idea of undressing before Arthur when it had always been the other way around. He steeled himself, then dropped the scarf and quickly wrapped Arthur's scrap of cape around his waist like a towel. It was a little shorter than he would have liked, but it would have to do.

"All right, I'm done," he said, and stood defiantly straight as Arthur turned his attention back to him.

Arthur smiled, and he followed Arthur's caressing gaze down his body to see that yes, he did indeed turn that pink all over. 

"Finally," Arthur said, deep satisfaction giving his voice an odd quality not unlike a purr.

"What?"

Arthur reached to his side and picked up his scarf from the table. "Thanks for the token of your favour," he said, waving the scarf at Merlin.

Merlin goggled at him. "What?!" 

Arthur fixed him with a long, speaking gaze as he raised the scarf to his face and inhaled deeply, without looking away from Merlin. Merlin found it was possible to turn even redder. He'd had that wrapped around his body!

Then Arthur tied the scarf around his upper arm and gave him a cheery wave as he turned away. "I need to rejoin the others before the tournament starts." And with that parting shot, he strolled out the door, humming to himself as though he had just won a great victory over Morgana. Merlin could only watch slack-jawed as he departed in triumph.


End file.
